Store-cabinet.



L. T. THORN.

STORE CABINET.

APPLlcATgoN FILED ria. 5. |911.

Patented Apr. 2, 191&

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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STORE CABINET.

APPLICATION man rms. |917.

1,261,652. Patented Apr. 2,1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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LAWRENCE THEODORE THORN, 0F LYNN VILLE, TENNESSEE.

STORE-CABINET.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 2, 1918.

Application led February 5, 1917. Serial No. 146,742.

To all whom z't may concer/n.'

Be it known that I, LAWRENCE T. THORN, a citizen of the United States,residing at L nnville, in the county of Giles and State o Tennessee,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Store-Cabinets; andI do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in store cabinetsespecially those adapted for use in grocery stores and the primary object of the invention is to provide a cabinet provided with a pluralityof bins arranged so that they are easily accessible and also the topportions of the saine form a counter.

Another object of the invention is to provide a store cabinet of thischaracter which is provided with a plurality of closely arranged binsforming a counter and capable of being moved from lace to place.

A further object of) the invention is to provide a store cabinet of thischaracter which includes pairs of supe osed bins having outlets in thebottom olfpthe same and l provided with means whereby the contents ofthe upper bin may be removed therefrom without disturbing the contentsof the lower bins.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a device of thischaracter in which the bins are separable, thereby making transportationcomparatively easy.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a store cabinet ofthis character provided with a plurality of bins, some of the bins beingprovided with means for receiving and displaying certain goods inpackages, and also the goods being removable without removing the casingin which they are packed.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of thischaracter which is simple and durable in construction, inexpensive tomanufacture, and one which will be very eicient and reliable inoperation.

With these and numerous other objects in view, the invention consists ofthe novel features of construction and the combina-v tion and arranement of parts to be herein referred to an more particularly pointed outin the specicatlon and claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fi re l is a top plan view of a complete set o bins in assembled form;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2; and,

Fig. 5 is a sectional view showing a modified form of the upper bin.

In describing my invention I shall refer to the drawings in whichsimilar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout4the several views. The store cabinet comprises a pair of rows of bins 1and 2 which are posltioned in substantially parallel spaced relation andwhich are connected at one end by three bins 3, 4 and 5, the middle bin3 being disposed at right angles to the rows and connected by angularlydisposed bins 4 and 5. Each of these rows of side bins are made up ofseparable bins l and 2 which are held together by clamping screws 13.This arrangement of bins forms a substantiall U-shaped cabinet, and thetop portions o the bins are connected and disposed in a singlehorizontal plane to form a counter 6 which extends therearound.

The side bins 1 and 2 have the forward portions of their tops providedwith upwardly projecting artitioning members 7 which are connected by afront member 8 which extends along the front of the same. Thisarrangement forms a plurality of goods receiving recesses 7 which aredisposed above the bins and are provided with a top by theV horizontallyextending counter 6. The rear portions 9 of the tops of said bins 1 and2 are open and hin ed doors 10 are connected with the forwar ortions ofthe tops and adapted to form c osures for the bins. The open tops forminlet openings for supplying the bins and also form means for gamingaccess thereto to remove the contents as sold. These hinged doors 10 areinclined as clearly shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. The recesses 7 andthe bins 1 and 2 are provided in their outer walls with enlargedopenings 8 covered with glass 8" to display the contents thereof to thecustomers. The bins 1 and 2 are provided with depending flanges 21 whichextend below the bottoms of said bins and are provided Q incassa onthree sides with inwardly projecting portions or brackets 22 and on thefourth snide with a hinged door 21, said brackets being adapted tosupport a pan 23 which is so positioned as to receive the contents otthe bins upon removal ot the closures 20 from the openings 19 in thebottom of said bins. lig. 3 shows the fastening elements which arepreferably clamping screws 13 and are used to secure thebins together asmore clearly shown in Fig. 4. Each bin is provided on its bottom with abracket 25 and a roller 26 so that the entire cabinet is made portableand may be readily moved from place to place and positioned as desired.

The front connecting bins 3, 4 and 5 are formed of pairs of upper andlower bins 11 and 12, the lower bins 12 having open tops and the bottomsof the upper bins forming tops for the same.

For convenience, l will now refer to one of the pairs ot three frontbins 3, 4 and 5, it being understood that the structure of each is thesame.

The upper bin 11 is disposed forwardly with respect to the lower bin 12and the bottom of the same is detachably connected therewith by means ofclamping screws 13 as clearly shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

rlhese bins 11 and 12 are provided with display openings 14 in theirouter walls and are covered with glass 15 to display the contentsthereof to the customers.

The upper and lower bins 11 and 12 are provided with inlet openings 16in the inner walls of the same at their tops and are adapted to beclosed by inclined doors 17 which are hingedly connected with the upperedges of the bins as clearly shown at 17. 'lhe bins 11 and 12 areprovided with outlet openings 18 and 19 respectively in their bottomwalls and are yprovidedwith closures 20 normally positioned in saidopenings to hold the contents within the bins.

l'lhe lower bin 12 is provided with a downwardly projecting flange 21 onthree sides as shown and a hinged door 21 on the fourth side, the threesides having inwardly projecting portions or brackets 22 `adapted tosupport a pan or other receptacle23 thereon. 'lhe lower bin has a secondinwardly projecting portion or bracket 24 near its upper end to receivethe inner end ot the pan or other receptacle 23 thereon when so desired.v

en it is desired to empty the contents or the lower bin tor cleaning thesame or replacing the saine with fresh material, the closure 20 isremoved and consequently the contents will readily run therefrom and bereceived in the pan 23. The removal el the closure 20'" in the upper binwill allow the contents thereof to run into the lower bin 12 or it itisdesired to simply clean the bin 11,

i a pan 23 may be supported at its inner end on the bracket 24 toreceive said contents after which it is easily withdrawn, it beingunderstood that the user supports the outer end of the pan by hand.

ln Fig. 5 of the drawings ll have illustrated a slightly modiied form ofthe upper bins 11, the lower bins 12 being the saine as thosehereinbelore described.

Each bin 11 is provided in its outer wall with an opening 14 which iscovered with glass 15 to display the contents of the bin to thecustomers. 'lhe inner wall 27 of the bin 11 has therein an opening 28adapted lor alinement with the display opening 14 in the front wall ofthe same.

To form a closure tor this opening 28, l have provided a door formed intwo sections 29 and 31 connected by spring hinges 30, the entire doorbeing connected to the lower edge ot the inner wall by spring hinges 30.lhe upper section 29 is provided with a catch 32 to lock the door inclosed position.

rllhe object of this type of door is to render the upper bins applicablefor holding and displaying certain types of goods, as for instance,dried fruits which are received in comparatively large boxes, it beingonly necessary to remove the tops and bottoms of the boxes and placethem in the bins with one open side facing the display opening and theother open side facing the door of the bin. This will display one sideot the box through the display opening in the bin while owing to thetact that the door is formed,

in two sections and the upper section 29 is hingedly connected with thelower section 31, the material may be easily removed from the box byswinging the upper section outwardly. This makes the above mentionedtype of goods easily accessible as well as displaying the sameattractively. When placing a bon of fruit in the bin, the two sectionsot the door may be swung down to permit the bon to be easily set in theproper osition, the opening of both door sections ein a great advantagewhen said bon is near y as large as the bin.

FJlhis type of store cabinet is especially adapted for use in'grocerystores as the bins are applicable to hold the various oods that areretailed, Owing to the ill-s aped arrangement of the bins, all of thematerials are easily accessible to the clerk, and lurtherinore, as eachoil the bins is provided with a display opening in its outer wall, thecontents or each ont the bins is attractively displayed to the customer.Goods receiving recesses formed above the parallel rows off spaced binsare adapted to hold various articles such as bones o? crackers, etc.,that the grocer has a ready sale :lor and which should be placed so thatthey are easily accessibla Secured to the upper ed 'es ot the upper binsthat connect the en ,s ont the spaced or parallel is the counter 5 whichalso extends above the parallel bins and over the goods receivingrecesses. This counter is adapted to receive thereon the variousarticles which are necessary in the operation of the business.

From the foregoing description of the construction and operation of mynew and improved store cabinet, the manner of applying the same to useand the operation thereof will be readily understood, and it will beseen that I have provided a simple and eficient means for carrying outthe objects of the invention.

I claim 1. A device of the class described comprising pairs ofsuperposed bins with the bottom of each upper bin forming the top of thelower, said bins having display openings in the front faces thereof, therear edges of said bins having inlet openings, doors hinged to the binsand adapted to cover said inlet openings, the bottom of each bin havingan outlet, closures for said outlets, and a bracket adjacent the upperedge of the llower bin to support a receptacle beneath the outlet of theupper bin, whereby the contents thereof maybe removed lvithoutdisturbing the contents of the lower 2. A device of the class describedcomprising pairs of superposed separate bins with the bottom of eachupper bin forming the top of the lower, said upper bin extendinforwardly from the lower bin and secure to the upper edge of the same,the

top of said upper bin being adapted to form a counter, said bins havindisplay openings in the front faces t ereof, inclined doors hinged atthe top edges of the bins and adapted to cover inlet openings in therear walls of the same, the bottom of each bin having an outlet,closures for said outlets, and a bracket secured' to the inner surfaceof the front wall of the lower bin adjacent its upper edge to supportthe front.l

edge of a receptacle adapted to be disposed beneath the outlet of theupper bin for removal of its contents.

3. The combination of a lower bin open at its top and having atransverse strip eX- tending across said top in parallel relation totherear Wall of the bin, a downwardly and rearwardly inclining door hingedto said strip and resting on the upper edge of the rear wall of the bin,a flange extending forwardly from the upper edge of the front wall ofsaid bin, an upper bin whose bottom rests at its rear edge on saidstrip, said bottom also resting on said flange, and bolts passingthrough said bottom and through said strip and flange to secure the twobins together, the upper bin projecting forwardly beyond the lower bm.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set m hand in the presence of twosubscribing wltnesses.

LAWRENCE THEODORE THORN. Witnesses:

GEO. B. WITT,

J S. COMPTON.

